AMHERST, Mass. -
The UMass baseball team walked off with a 5-4 extra inning win over VCU on Friday afternoon on Earl Lorden Field. With the victory, the Minutemen improve to 12-28 overall, 9-13 in the Atlantic 10, while the Rams fall to 32-14 on the season, 13-7 in conference play.

VCU scored the first run of the afternoon in the top of the first. After two quick outs to open the frame, Vimael Machin doubled to right and came home on a single to left by the next batter, Chris Ayers.

UMass pulled level with the Rams by pushing across a run in the bottom of the third. Sophomore Vinny Scifo led off with a single to left center, was sacrificed over to second and crossed the plate on an RBI single by redshirt junior Kyle Adie.

The Minutemen then took the lead for the first time by scoring twice in the fourth. Senior Nik Campero led off with a home run to left center, while redshirt junior Adam Picard dropped a one-out double inside the left field line and later scored on a sacrifice fly by freshman Dylan Morris.

In their next turn at bat, the Rams cut their deficit to 3-2. Landon Prentiss led off with a single to right center, went to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a groundout and Joey Cujas plated him with a double to left center.

VCU climbed on top, 4-3 in the seventh. James Bunn reached on a fielder's choice, while three straight two-out singles by Cujas, Machin and Ayers brought in the tying and go-ahead runs for the Rams.

UMass managed to tie the score, though, in the bottom half of the inning. Morris was hit by a pitch to start things off, was sacrificed over to second and crossed the plate following a pair of singles by freshman Bryce Maher and Adie.

The Minutemen then won the contest without a hit in the bottom of the 10th. Senior Nick Sanford led off by reaching on an error, was sacrificed over to second and advanced the next two bases on wild pitches. Senior Dylan Begin and Picard were issued intentional walks in the frame before Sanford came in on a ball to the backstop with sophomore John Jennings at the plate.

Freshman Mike Geannelis tossed 3.1 innings of relief without allowing a run on two hits, both singles, with no walks and four strikeouts en route to the victory (3-3) for UMass. Thomas Gill pitched one-third of an inning for VCU and took the loss (3-4). He surrendered one unearned run without giving up a hit, while walking two.

Adie paced the Minutemen at the plate with a 3-for-5 showing and two RBI. Sanford went 2-for-4 and scored the winning run.

For the Rams, Cujas led four players with multi-hit games, batting 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Ayers (2-for-5) drove in two and Machin (2-for-5) contributed an RBI and scored once.

The teams will be back in action at Earl Lorden Field, with game two of the weekend series set for tomorrow, May 10, at 1 p.m.